Life is like ranked queue.
The person beside you can be your teammate one second—and the enemy's MVP off the bench the next.
That was Chiemi's reality right now.
The camaraderie that had just begun to bloom shattered in an instant.
Move in with her? Live together?
What did she mean, "cancel your place and come live with me"?
Chiemi was Yuu's neighbor. A setup that perfect was not something she would ever hand over to someone else.
And compared to her own lifestyle—where meals were basically solved by eating out—Yuu could actually cook.
You want to poach my trainer?
Then we're enemies.
"Big sis… I just rented that apartment," Yuu said with an awkward laugh, scratching his cheek. "Backing out immediately doesn't seem right…"
But the real reason was simpler.
With the way Fumino's protectiveness had spiked, living under the same roof would mean zero freedom. She'd treat him like a helpless invalid who couldn't survive without supervision.
Nase Fumino might be called "the Prince," but at the end of the day she was still a woman.
And when a woman's emotions surged, logic rarely stood a chance.
Yuu's explanation didn't register as "reasonable" in her mind.
It registered as an excuse for not wanting to stay with his sister.
And that was unacceptable.
Fumino lifted a brow, her tone sharpening. "Those are minor details. I'm not comfortable with you living alone. If you live with me, at least I can look after—"
Chiemi finally snapped.
She stepped forward, planted herself squarely in front of Yuu, and forced a bright smile onto her face.
"That won't be necessary. Trainer and I are neighbors. I can take good care of him."
The words hit like water dropped into hot oil.
Instant explosion.
They were neighbors?
If Yuu hadn't mentioned it on the phone yesterday, that meant he only found out after the call—meaning he'd only just learned the person next door was Chiemi.
And Chiemi, famous across Tracen for being impossible to sign…
had contracted with him in less than a day?
It didn't take much imagination to start drawing conclusions about what might have happened last night.
Fumino suddenly felt like she'd raised a cabbage for years only for someone to yank it straight out of the ground.
And now, the way she looked at Chiemi wasn't as a trainer anymore.
It was as a sister.
Even with the height difference making the confrontation almost comical, Fumino tilted her chin up and faced Chiemi head-on.
"My brother is not something you need to worry about, Miss Chiemi."
She put deliberate emphasis on my—not on brother.
And it grated on Chiemi all the same.
Chiemi's green eyes narrowed. She refused to yield an inch.
"My trainer doesn't need your concern either, Trainer Nase."
Sparks practically crackled between them.
This wasn't about roles or titles anymore.
This was pure, stubborn competitiveness—two people locked in place because neither one wanted to lose.
And Yuu, the supposed center of it all?
"..."
He couldn't say a word.
Not because he was speechless, or because he thought it was the wrong time to speak.
He was being physically muted.
While the clam fought the snipe, the fisherman took the profit.
And the fisherman, in this case, was the "Bay" with a smile.
"Mmhmhm~"
Super Creek had already swept Yuu into her arms, one hand gently covering his mouth—not enough to hurt, but more than enough to keep him from making a sound.
"It's too bad I live in the dorms, so I can't have Yuu stay with me," she said sweetly. "So, Yuu can compensate me for a while instead, okay~?"
Yuu's entire body jolted.
He looked up—only to find the same soft, loving smile on her face…
and an eerie gleam behind half-lidded eyes.
"Ear cleaning a lap pillow feeding you snacks singing you to sleep I have sooo many things I want to do with Yuu~"
"..."
Yuu suddenly felt that, yes—he really should struggle.
Help! Big sis! Chiemi! Save me, please!
Tracen Academy — Student Council Office
Rudolf Symboli had a headache.
She had spoken with Chiemi that morning.
Then, right after lunch, an unwelcome visitor arrived.
Oguri Cap stood across her desk, both hands planted on the surface, eyes burning with resolve.
Rudolf sighed again.
"Oguri Cap… I'll say it one more time. Your next selection trial is thirty days from now. We can't move it up."
"But there's a trial the day after tomorrow," Oguri said immediately.
"That one is for Umamusume being assessed for dirt-track aptitude."
"I can run dirt too."
"..."
Rudolf exhaled slowly, feeling the conversation looping into the same rut it had fallen into countless times already—and would likely fall into again.
An Umamusume's suitability generally fell into three broad categories:
Surface aptitude: turf or dirt.
Distance aptitude: sprint, mile, middle distance, long distance.
Running style: frontrunner, pace-setter, stalker, closer.
For distance and running style, most Umamusume had a natural comfort zone. Chiemi, for example, excelled in middle-to-long distances.
But surface was different.
The gap between turf and dirt was enormous. Most Umamusume specialized in one or the other.
To make matching trainers and Umamusume more practical, Tracen separated trials by category and held different selection events accordingly.
Most students only participated in the distance and surface that suited them best.
And once those were registered, changing them generally wasn't allowed.
But Oguri Cap was, frankly, an anomaly.
Aside from sprints—which truly didn't suit her—she was capable across turf and dirt, and across almost every other distance.
A true all-rounder.
For testing convenience, the academy had assigned her to her strongest category: middle distance.
If she wanted to switch to long distance, that could be negotiated.
But switching surface entirely?
That wasn't within the permitted scope.
"If you want to move to long distance," Rudolf said, "we can discuss it…"
"But that's still ten days away. I want to do the trial the day after tomorrow!"
"..."
Rudolf sighed again, her stomach starting to ache.
And for some reason, a strange sensation crept through her mind—like a memory that didn't belong.
An image of Oguri Cap… not arguing with her about selection trials.
But pressing her about whether she could enter the Japan Derby.
That's… absurd.
Where could a thought like that even come from?
"Therefore," Oguri pressed, leaning even closer, "can you let me enter the trial the day after tomorrow?"
Rudolf quietly rolled her chair back a fraction, then asked, "Why are you suddenly so determined to take a trial? Have you found a suitable trainer?"
Oguri shook her head.
Under Rudolf's puzzled gaze, she enunciated every word as if carving it into stone.
"Not suitable. It has to be him."
Rudolf blinked, then let out a small laugh.
"The one you told me you were waiting for?"
"Yes. It's him."
"Then… congratulations," Rudolf said, her tone softening. "You finally met the person you've been waiting for."
Once a trainer and an Umamusume signed, the contract needed the Chairwoman's approval—and the Student Council's review as well.
The Council bore responsibility for the students. It could not be negligent.
As Council President, Rudolf had long known why Oguri Cap refused to sign.
To be honest, Oguri—like Chiemi—had been on the Council's "needs guidance" list for a long time.
"Thank you," Oguri said, then immediately looped back without blinking. "So can you let me enter the trial the day after tomorrow?"
"..."
Rudolf understood that continuing to argue would only waste time.
And then—
That "nonexistent memory" surfaced again.
In it, she handled a similar headache in a very particular way.
Should I… try it?
Rudolf crossed one leg over the other.
Her right elbow dropped onto the desk like a steel spike, anchoring her upper body with unwavering authority.
Her right hand curled loosely into a fist and rested against her cheek.
In that instant, the Emperor's pressure condensed into something almost tangible—an overwhelming weight that bore down on Oguri Cap without mercy.
Rudolf's voice turned cold, decisive, absolute.
"Do not be rude before the Central."
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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